Thursday, August 30, 2012

Harm Grashoff Headstone.

This is the Grashoff family headstone where Harm is buried in Reide, Germany.

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

The old home place in Germany!

This is a photo of the home that Elisabeth lived in with her husband, Harm Grashoff, in Germany.

Monday, August 27, 2012

Elisabeth in Germany

This is a copy of the church record showing the Marriage of Harm Grashoff and Elisabeth Masemann.

Sunday, August 26, 2012

More on Elisabeth Grashoff!

Elisabeth's death record states that she was born in Germany and died of a partial bowel obstruction. It also tells us that she will be buried in Buckley, Illinois.

Saturday, August 25, 2012

More on my ancestor, Anne Elisabeth Masemann Grashoff, Streff. This is a picture of her tombstone in St. John's Cemetery In Buckley, Iroquis, Illinois, USA. She is buried beside her second husband, Mathias Streff. Her first husband, Harm Heinrich Grashoff was buried back in Germany. Elisabeth lived to be 79 years old and spent the last part of her life in Aurelia, Iowa, with her children.

Sunday, August 19, 2012

More on Anne Elisabeth Masemann


Maggie and John Grashoff, Beth, Florence, and Francis Chandler, Elisabeth Masemann Grashoff Streff, Anna and William Streff.

Elisabeth arrived in America in 1881. We first find her in Illinois with her children: Lizzie, Johann, and Anna. Elisabeth married Mathias Streff April 8, 1884, in Gilman Illinois. He died in 1902. Elisabeth did come to Iowa and live with her children. After she passed away, she was sent back to Illinois and buried with Mathias, her second husband.

Saturday, August 18, 2012

My begining in genealogy!

This lady began my interest in genealogy.  Anne Elisabeth Masemann was born April 2, 1836, in Schwarme, Diepholz, Lower Saxony, Germany to Heinrich Wilhelm Massemann and Rebecke Meyer. She was married to Harm Heinrich Grashoff on April 23, 1860. She had four children that I know of: Margethe Elisabeth "Lizzie", Rebekka, Johann, and Anna. Rebekka died while still in Germany at age eight. Elisabeth's husband died on March 10, 1877, in Germany. Elisabeth came to America with her three children in 1881 for reasons yet unknown. As a young person, I was fascinated with this woman's journey to a new world as a widow with three children and that began a lifelong obsession!

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Lost Too Soon

My Grandparents, Albert and Alma Grashoff, second child was stillborn. Grandma related that she felt the baby died while she was in labor. Grandma said of her seven children, Romona was be far the most difficult. Romona was born dead on December 3, 1928, on her older sister's fifth birthday.

Monday, August 13, 2012

New Family Twig

My cousin's daughter, Ashley, and her husband added the latest twig on the family tree. Jaycee Marie Bernu was born on her mother's birthday on August 5, 2012. Congratulations on the new bundle of joy!!